I’m a big fan of networking. If you follow this column, you know this about me already, but I really can’t emphasize enough how important it is to get to know other professionals and businesses in the area. Networking is an excellent opportunity to educate others on what you have to offer and learn about the other really cool companies in Baltimore and the surrounding areas. One of the goals of networking is to get a referral for a business opportunity from someone who knows someone in need of your product or services.
When I’m out and about on the networking circuit, I like to start a conversation by asking someone I meet about themselves, what their interests are and how they ended up working in Baltimore. Later on, I’ll ask about their job and company and what makes a good referral for them. This part of the conversation is where things can get interesting, because that’s when you find out exactly what they are looking for and how you can help. It’s a great feeling to connect someone with a company who can solve their problem and ease their pain in some way.
This type of conversation does not always go well. If the person is vague or overly broad, I really can’t help. I asked someone once what type of customer they were looking for and they replied, “Well, I sell cable TV service, so anyone who owns a TV is a good referall.” I’m sorry, but I can’t work with that. It’s more helpful to hear something like. “I sell cable TV. I’m looking to get connected with apartment building managers because when they have a new tenant move in, I can help that tenant decide which package would be best for them.”
Inevitably, I’m asked what makes a good referral for me and Teltek and I’m always happy to share. I have a long list of specific criteria that I can draw from and by mentioning one or two of these, I can clearly communicate what kind of customer we can help. Here it that list for anyone out there who wants to know:
A great referral for Teltek is someone who…
*Dislikes their phone system in general
*Has an Avaya or NEC phone system that they don’t understand and would like training on it
*Is interested in cloud or data center services
*Is moving their office to another suite or a different building
*Needs help with their IT support
*Is a property or building manager who is in charge of the phone equipment or services for the building
*Is unhappy with their voice or internet service provider and would like to switch to a different one
*Has a NEC or Avaya phone system that is not being maintained by anyone
*Wishes to purchase a NEC or Avaya phone system
*Needs troubleshooting or repair of their PC or MAC
*Is interested in learning more about unified communications
*Has a legacy phone system (Merlin Magix, Merlin Legend, etc) that needs to be repaired or maintained
*Is expanding or downsizing their office
*Needs voice or data cabling evaluated, installed or repaired
*Would like a one-call resource for their phone system, cabling and IT equipment
If you know anyone with any of these interests, problems or requests, please send them my way. I’m happy to return the favor if you tell me precisely what you need 🙂
Teltek is a Certified Avaya Business Partner, NEC Dealer, and Microsoft Partner with three locations in the Baltimore and DC Metropolitan areas. We specialize in providing one call technology support for small to mid-sized businesses and nonprofits in Maryland, Washington, DC, Virginia and Pennsylvania.
Our dedicated team of experts enables Teltek to provide, install and repair business phone systems & computer networks, run voice and data cabling and coordinate local, long-distance, and internet service providers all under the watchful eye of our dedicated project managers.